Fairhaven Fire/EMS receives an EKG monitor from Southcoast Hospitals Group that can transmit results directly to the hospital while the ambulance is enroute. L-R: Mathew Bivens, MD, Southcoast Health EMS Medical Director; Timothy Francis, Chief, Fairhaven Fire & EMS; Robert Lincoln, Fairhaven Training Officer; Brian Giorgianni, EMTP, Southcoast Health EMS Coordinator; Todd Correia, Deputy Chief, Fairhaven Fire & EMS; and Keith A. Hovan, President & CEO, Southcoast. Health. Submtited photo.
Press Release
Southcoast Health has donated technology to the Fairhaven, Westport and Newport, RI, ambulance services, so that heart attack victims can rapidly receive the emergency intervention they need.
Each town will receive monitors that allow paramedics to transmit 12-lead EKG results from the ambulance to Southcoast hospitals, enabling cardiologists to determine if a patient is suffering a heart attack and, if so, what type while the patient is en route to the hospital. Southcoast is donating a total of five cardiac monitors to the three towns. In addition, Fairhaven will also receive a Stryker PowerLOAD stretcher loading system, which automatically lifts patients onto the ambulance.
If the EKG reading indicates a STEMI, the most serious form of heart attack, doctors can activate the Charlton cardiac catheterization lab and be ready to treat the patient immediately upon arrival.
A STEMI involves a blockage in one of the heart’s major arteries, which can cause life-limiting damage to the cardiac muscle. Doctors can lessen that damage if they rapidly restore blood flow.
“The Town of Fairhaven and Fairhaven Fire/ EMS are grateful to receive these new pieces of equipment. Having a state-of-the-art cardiac monitor that can directly transmit to a physician for review and receive any medical advice or instructions while en route to the hospital, will greatly increase a patient’s survival rate,” said Timothy Francis, Chief, Fairhaven Fire and EMS.
“The loading system will also be a great help to our Firefighter/Medics. It will allow us to load a patient in the ambulance quicker and easier than previous stretchers which will make the patient’s experience as comfortable as possible. These are both great pieces of equipment which will enhance our EMS service now and in the future.”
“Southcoast Health is pleased to continue our support of local EMS providers in our region, who are on the front lines of patient care every day,” said Keith Hovan, President and CEO of Southcoast Health. “This new equipment will directly impact patients by saving crucial minutes between the onset of a heart attack and treatment. Getting a patient to the hospital and into the cardiac cath lab faster can make the difference between life and death.”
Since 2016, Southcoast Health has donated numerous monitors and equipment upgrades to local EMS.
SCH has donated new equipment or upgrades to 19 area communities in recent years.
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